September 2014 - Babies turn 1!

[lilone1234]

First birthdays are starting to arrive and our babies are becoming toddlers! What will the next year have in store?

Hello all :)

E is ok with teeth brushing, mostly he lets me do it. We always forget to do it in the morning though! Bad mummy!

I didn't bother with pancakes as both dh and E wouldn't eat them. I may do some today for me though

I had my implant out in November and really need to loose weight before ttc. I am thinking when E is 2 and a half we will try.

E is also in a sleeping bag he flips up and down in his cot all the time!

In the final countdown to DD2! 37+4 weeks now. It's getting more difficult to keep DD1 entertained as I don't really feel like doing much at all. I try to get us out every day, but I get so achy and uncomfortable.

Still BFing too, but usually just once a day. Breastfeeding aversion hit about midway through pregnancy and has been awful. I'm continuing in the hopes that it dies down after the birth.

DD has had a blanket (or two, depending on temperature) pretty much since birth. To start with, she preferred to be swaddled, so I just put an extra blanket over that if needed. And then I just couldn't be bothered to switch - lazy. I try to make sure she wears enough layers to keep her warm if she pulls the blankets off, but she always pulls her socks off anyway, and uncovers her feet. I guess she's a bit like me that way. She generally sleeps 7-7, so I think she's comfortable enough.

I'm lucky that she actually likes having her teeth brushed. I think it's the taste of the toothpaste. Clipping finger and toenails, though, is a different story.

Wow! I can just about manage with just DS! Will you let us know when she has arrived (I appreciate you will be verrrry busy then!).

I'll try! It's evenings during the first 2-3 months that make me most apprehensive - I envision long cluster feeding sessions while trying to get DD1 fed and to bed. Daytimes I think will be OK. DH is away 12 hours per day during the week, so won't be able to help much past his paternity leave. But we'll get through. I have high hopes.

harimad we will certainly be cheering you on! And I know I'll be looking for tips for managing baby and toddler :)

I think DS has chicken pox. Off to the doctors once I can call and get an appointment to see if that's it. Never thought he would have it this young.

Not chicken pox. But a not very nice virus. Poor spotty DS.

It's not hand, foot and mouth is it Lilly? DD had that a while ago which wasn't nice. Hope he feels better soon!

DD has a stinking cold at the mo, so horrid when they're sick.

Wow Harimad good luck . I am with you on the nail clipping, I tend to do it when A is napping, but even that can prove difficult!

Hope your DS is feeling better soon Lilly

Doctor said that the rash looks like hand foot and mouth but its location is wrong. He only has a few spots around his mouth, and the soles of his feet and palms of his hands are clear. It's mainly on the tops of his thighs, and his elbows. With a few odd patches elsewhere. Hope it clears soon, we are off on holiday tomorrow! I could do with some more sleep, today has been hard work and last nights sleep was so disturbed as DS is clearly upset and uncomfortable :( fingers crossed for a better night.

I used a big bath towel for DD after tonights bath, instead of the baby hooded towel. It feels like the end of an era to stop using the baby towels.

Hope DS is better soon Lilly, especially if you are off on holiday. Hope you have a lovely time.

Going to see a litter of puppies tomorrow. Squeeeee. I have to rein myself in. The reason I'm going alone is that I am supposed to go without an "aawww, cute puppies" attitude and instead be detached and sensible.

Harimad - good luck! How exciting

Lilly - just before Christmas DD had a viral rash. It didn't look too nice, but she only had a couple of days actually being poorly. Took about a week for the rash to totally go. Hope you have a wonderful holiday.

Earlier, DH and I were discussing DD and tried to describe her in three words. It was a really interesting exercise. We want to look back and see how she changes. She is... Affectionate, determined and funny.

What three words would you all pick?

Ooh Fate what sort of pups? Are you thinking of getting a new dog then?

Team - that's interesting. 3 words I would use to describe DD: independent, outgoing, sociable.

Wow Harimad! Wishing you the best of luck for a straight-forward labour and hope it all goes smoothly. Do let us know when she arrives! :)

LilyBugg I hope our DS gets better soon and he has a good holiday.

Fate what time are you seeing the puppies?

Interesting exercise Team. I'd describe DD as determined, playful and sociable.

We're looking for a KC registered cocker spaniel, ours was put to sleep in July and I've been looking since December. Definite no on the litter I saw this morning, the search the right dog shall continue. So many red-flags and lots of things just didn't feel right with the back-yard puppy farm breeder. Luckily I am in no rush and can step back from the "awww cute puppies" when visiting.

Disappointing nonetheless. The advert read well and I had got my hopes up a bit.

Good luck Harimad, hope everything goes well!
Independent, funny and boisterous I think would be best three words to describe DD.
One of my nicknames for her is Monstro when she's being particularly non-compliant with nappy changing etc, and also when she flings her food and drink all over the floor( whilst she's looking me in the eye!)

These past few weeks her sleep has been quite disturbed and she's been ending up in bed with us quite a lot. On Tuesday I had about 3 hours sleep and last night was similar.

She's also had a second bout of hand foot and mouth from nursery but luckily it wasn't as bad as last time. Hope you're LO gets better soon Lilly.

Working my notice and with my holiday I get to finish in a month! The possibility of me staying here on a self employed basis has been discussed with days to suit me ( why couldn't they have done this for when I was returning to work??) and it's an option but I'm still job hunting.

We will be TTC no 2 in a few months. Good luck to everyone else who has been.

I feel that I am completely rubbish at doing fun things with DD but hope to be better at this when I have more time with her.

Ah boisterous is a good one Zana!

Good luck with the puppy hunt Fate, cocker spaniels are lovely. My brother will be bringing home a Labrador puppy soon! He won't know what's hit him haha!

Ladies, where should I go to get passport pics done for DD?!

Thanks Lilone, it's one that my family often use for her!!

Passport pics - we went to the Jessops within our local Sainsburys when DD was 9 months old. They plonked her on a giant bean bag and snapped away from above. We managed to get one half decent one before she decided to wail at the photographer. She looks "stunned" in her passport pic!

We got passport photos done in a Snappy Snaps - I think that is what they are called?

Mmm good question. Think I will steal boisterous, determined and giggley.

Passport pics - we got ours from Max Speilman - like Jessops, they laid A down and took them from above. But he was only 6 weeks old or so.

DD is 17 months old today. :)

For ages I've known that I need to get her off her last bottle (she only has one now shortly before bed). I've been dreading it though and putting off doing it for weeks. Decided to finally go for it tonight and give her milk tonight out of a beaker. She didn't care one bit. We have therefore successfully dropped all of her bottles now. Wahoo!

On a less positive note, how much do your DD's / DS's talk now? I'm worried DD is a bit behind compared to her peers. All she says is 'uh-ho' when she drops something etc (which obviously isn't even really a word) and 'el-lo' (hello). Most of her peers seem to say lots more than this?

Hello all!

We got out passport photos done a month ago at Jessops! He sat on a stool and I held his legs I am sure he could have sat independently but I didn't want an accident especially with lots of expensive things around him! We also tried the photo me box in Boots and it stole our money, so I don't recommend that!

E is now officially 18 months! He is cheeky, cute and adventurous!

He has words like daddy, oh dear, uh oh, teddy e.t.c but not a lot maybe 20-30

Kitkat - I wouldn't worry too much yet. They all develop at different rates and she will get there. How is her understanding? Can she follow instructions? For example, if you said "can you get your ball for mummy", would she do it? Also, does she point at things with one finger? That always comes before language.

We finally have a child who can sleep through! Not every night, but the majority of the time she does 6.45-6.00. Having said that we will now have a run of disaster nights.

I'm back to work ft soon. Having very mixed feelings about it.

Oh dear. 20-30 words cookie is a lot compared to Jessica's 2 (and that's only if you count 'uh-ho' as a word). I'm not sure what we're doing wrong. She's never had a dummy (not because we are anti-dummy btw, it's just we offered her one and she never accepted it), we do lots of reading, singing, etc. Sigh. Guess we just have to keep plugging away at it. Her understanding is pretty good though (e.g, if we ask her to point to her toes she will).

Pleased to hear nights are getting better Team. We've had a pretty good week with sleep but she was a bit of a nightmare last night. There doesn't seem to be a lot of pattern to it.

I work full-time as well Team. I'm not going to lie it is hard and a juggling act, but at least I get a decent period each week where I am 'KitKat' and not 'Mummy' if you see what I mean.

You're not doing anything wrong kitkat. Does she babble? How about animal noises? Will she dance to music? How about pointing and other gestures? Language development isn't just about words, there are lots of other things that build up to language.

I agree with Team, language development is more than just saying words. 20-30 is a lot I would say! the only words we consistently have is dog, duck, mama, dada, no, oh no, book. But she has said other words once or twice when I have said them but I wouldn't count them yet, I think it's a lot about them being confident to use them!